6:45 AM: You finished reading the paper and pour your second cup of coffee.

7:30 AM: Shower, dressed, and ready for the door, you fill your favorite travel mug with the final cup of freshly brewed coffee.

8:30 AM: After battling the painful traffic of the morning commute, you stop at the Starbucks next to your office building. Double shot skinny vanilla latte with your name misspelled on the side. The usual.

10:00 AM: Two Monday morning meetings down, two to go. The best way to get through it: an espresso from the new office coffee machine.

2:45 PM: The afternoon fatigue has set in, so your team congregates in the office kitchen for coffee hour, but you swore you’d be healthier, so instead you opt for green tea.

7:00 PM: Finally, you’re home. Dinner plans include a small bowl of bean and sausage stew, a can of soda and the chance to watch a few I Love Lucy re-runs. As usual, you doze off and end up sleeping on the couch that night.

Where to Find Caffeine

For most people, the idea of going a whole day without caffeine seems crazy. Maybe you acknowledge your slight addiction to coffee, or maybe you don’t even realize how much caffeine you really consume each day. Caffeine can sneak into your diet in ways you don’t realize. Let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of caffeine and lung disease.

Coffee

Coffee is the go to for a caffeinated beverage. Drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, Americanos, flat whites and more all contain varying amounts of caffeine. Even decaffeinated coffee options, both brewed and instant, contain a small amount of caffeine.

Tea

While tea may seem like a healthier alternative, most teas contain a decent amount of caffeine. Even green tea contains caffeine, leaving drinkers with a small caffeine buzz.

Carbonated Beverages

Many carbonated beverages contain caffeine: sodas such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew and others, and even non-caffeinated varieties contain scant amounts of caffeine. Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Volt, Monster and Venom also contain large amounts of caffeine.

Chocolate & Other Foods

We often don’t think about caffeine popping up in the foods we eat. The biggest offender: chocolate. A candy bar, a cup of hot cocoa and a hot fudge sundae all contain caffeine. Another food with surprising caffeine content is macadamia nuts.

The Effects of Caffeine and Lung Disease

The Cons of Caffeine and Lung Disease

The verdict is still out on the impact that caffeine has on people with chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis. Historically, researchers believed that caffeine negatively affected sufferers because it quickens breathing. For individuals who experience difficulty breathing or have an inability to absorb large amounts of oxygen, this quickened breathing pattern could be dangerous.

Another danger of drinking caffeine with a lung disease is the potential for caffeine to interfere with prescribed medications. If you’re not sure whether caffeine will interfere with your medications, ask your doctor, who will be able to guide you in the right direction.

Although there are some cons to drinking caffeine if you have a lung disease, recent studies also suggest some pretty compelling pros.

The Pros of Caffeine and Lung Disease

In 2009, a study conducted at the University of Texas showed the potential for caffeine to actually improve lung function. The study looked at the amount of coffee consumed, smoking habits and pulmonary function. The results surprised some researchers. Smokers with lung damage actually showed an increase in lung function when they increased coffee consumption.

While caffeine is still being studied to determine whether it could be a potential treatment option for people with chronic lung diseases, there are currently other options. Some people are finding relief and quality of life improvement after receiving cellular therapy from the Lung Institute. To learn more about cellular therapy, contact the Lung Institute at 888-745-6697.

* Every patient is given a Patient Satisfaction Survey shortly after treatment. Responses to the 11-question survey are aggregated to determine patient satisfaction with the delivery of treatment.

^ Quality of Life Survey data measured the patient’s self-assessed quality of life and measurable quality of improvement at three months of COPD patients.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

As required by Texas state law, the Lung Institute Dallas Clinic has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from MaGil IRB, now Chesapeake IRB, which is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP), for research protocols and procedures. The Lung Institute has implemented these IRB approved standards at all of its clinics nationwide. Approval indicates that we follow rigorous standards for ethics, quality, and protections for human research.

Privacy & Security Practices

The Lung Institute takes patient privacy seriously. The law requires that our healthcare facilities and medical personnel protect the privacy of your medical record and other health information We are also required to notify you of our privacy practices with regard to your Protected Health Information. This Privacy & Security Notice explains how your medical information is protected under HIPAA and HITECH laws and how your information may be used, disclosed, and accessed.

Internet Privacy Disclosure

The Information We Collect: The Lung Institute collects information by various methods including information actively provided by its lead providers, customers and information arising from customer surveys and general feedback. The types of personal information we collect include name, contact information, identification information, credit information and other data types as appropriate. Credit card information is used for billing purposes only.

We may record calls to or from our patient coordinators/customer service representatives for purposes of accuracy, performance reviews, training and general quality assurance.

How We Use This Information: This information is used to aid in the provision of our various products and services, including customer service, accounting, billing, collections and the marketing of other products and services. The Lung Institute may use aggregate or anonymous information for various uses for itself and third parties.

Who We Share This Information With: The Lung Institute does not share personal information with any third parties except as disclosed in this policy. The Lung Institute may provide personal information to the Lung Institute's subcontractors and professional advisers (which shall be bound by privacy obligations) to assist the Lung Institute's uses disclosed herein.
Security Personal information is stored in a combination of paper and electronic files. They are protected by security measures appropriate to the nature of the information.

Accessing Information: Individuals may review their personal information contained in the Lung Institute's files by contacting the Lung Institute's privacy officer. If an individual believes that any of their personal information is inaccurate, we will make appropriate corrections.

Cookies:Cookies are used by the Lung Institute for the convenience of our users. Cookies automatically authenticate the user. A user can access the Lung Institute's website with the cookie feature turned off. However, in doing so they may find themselves challenged for username and password information on multiple occasions. The Lung Institute also uses cookies to track user’s visits and uses that information to improve the user’s experience.

Links: The Lung Institute's website may contain links to information at other websites. When you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policy may differ from ours.

Telephone Numbers and Calls: By providing your telephone number to the Lung Institute on this contact form, you acknowledge and agree that you may receive a telephone call from the Lung Institute, at the number you provided on the online form, to receive information regarding the treatments offered at the Lung Institute. Such telephone calls may be placed by an automatic telephone dialing system and/or may contain prerecorded messages. By providing your mobile number to the Lung Institute, you further acknowledge and agree that you may receive text messages (SMS) from the Lung Institute at the number you provided to the Lung Institute. Protected Health Information will not be requested by the Lung Institute, if you choose to respond with Protected Health Information you agree to release the Lung Institute from any liability related to such disclosure. Be advised that any telephone calls and/or text messages are strictly informational and/or transactional in nature. the Lung Institute therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of email messages, or any responding emails that contain confidential patient information, which arise as a result of email transmission. This statement is required by Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. Sections 2510-2521

General:The Lung Institute may amend this policy from time to time. If such amendments affect how the Lung Institute uses or discloses personal information already held by the Lung Institute in a material way, the Lung Institute will obtain consent.

Notwithstanding the general terms of this policy, the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be made outside of the terms herein to the extent provided for in any applicable privacy or other legislation in effect from time to time.
The Lung Institute may disclose personal information to another entity purchasing (including for diligence purposes prior to purchase) the assets of the Lung Institute, provided that entity abide